


Memory of Mirrors

by SkylaDoragono



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2009-10-31
Updated: 2010-03-16
Packaged: 2017-10-07 21:34:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/69456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylaDoragono/pseuds/SkylaDoragono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having to choose between his duties to Akzeriuth and finding out more about the twin he's suddenly been confronted with, Luke chooses to pursue Asch instead, and ends up finding out more than he wanted sooner than he should have. Just how will his fate and the fate of thousands be changed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

"Asch, Ion takes priority right now!"

The voice of Sync the Tempest cut over the roar of the engines of the _Tartarus,_ but Luke fon Fabre barely heard him, staring in shock at the darkly clad figure before him. The God General uniform, blood red hair, and _his_ face; this was the real face of Asch the Bloody, the person that had struck out at them a couple times prior to this point. He could feel his stomach twist as Asch gazed down at him coldly, feeling like he was going to be sick, and for a moment he almost thought the bloody God General was going to ignore Sync's words. Finally, however, he turned away, starting for the massive land ship.

"I know!" he bit out, pausing a moment to glare back at him and the rest of his party, his eyes lingering on Natalia for a moment, before shooting back to Luke. "Aren't you the ladies man..."

He took off after that, running after the _Tartarus_ as it started off. Luke could hear Guy behind him, shouting and demanding to know if he was all right, but he could not acknowledge him, still in shock. His face... his face... _why_ did that man have his face? Jade was speaking now, but he could not focus on him either. He finally stood, his legs shaking, watching as Asch jumped onto the boarding ramp, glancing back as the land ship started to pick up speed.

At that moment, he made a choice, though he was not even aware of it until his brain registered his feet propelling him forward, running toward the retreating land ship. He ignored the sounds of his shouting companions; the only thing he could focus on was _his face..._

Asch had climbed up to the entrance of the _Tartarus,_ and was turning to press the button that would close the door and pull up the ramp, when he heard a loud _clank_ from below. He stared in both mild surprise and shock as the young noble jumped onto the boarding ramp, clinging to it for dear life.

"You fool!" he snapped down at him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Luke glared up at him, using all his strength and determination to pull himself up the ramp, drawing his sword as he leapt inside at the last moment. Asch deftly dodged out of the way, drawing his own weapon as the noble's clanked uselessly against the floor. Luke turned, his weapon turning with him as he swung wildly. Their blades met, and Asch narrowed his eyes, barely putting any effort into blocking the attack, while the other young man was practically using every ounce of strength just to hold it there.

"You stupid _reject!"_ Asch snapped, suddenly surging forward, shoving Luke. The pampered noble hit the wall, his head bouncing against it painfully. He slumped downward, gazing weakly up at the bloody God General, before falling forward, unconscious.

Asch approached the unconscious body slowly, his grip tightening on his sword as he went. He shifted his grip as he stopped at Luke's prone form, raising his weapon to stab down into the idiot boy's heart...

"Asch!"

He was not very surprised to hear Sync's voice down the hall, and he let out an annoyed noise, sheathing his weapon instead. His gaze turned sharply from the unconscious noble, to the green haired God General and Oracle Knights behind him.

"Tch..." he grumbled, walking away, though he stopped at the Knights. "Lock him away somewhere. I'll deal with him later."

He glared back at Sync, before continuing on his way.

~.oOOo.~

Luke was not entirely surprised to find himself staring up at a metal ceiling when he woke up next, the familiar feeling of a lumpy bunk bed at his back. He groaned softly, sitting upright and holding his head in his hands, trying to shake the feeling of dizziness that made him want to lie back down again. At least whoever had thrown him in here was kind enough to keep the lights down, but that relief was quickly dashed as the door to his cell opened. He let out an annoyed whine, covering his face with his hands as the bright light from the corridor beyond flooded into the room.

"Stop your sniveling, you worthless reject!" snapped a familiar voice. There was a loud _bang_ as the door snapped closed behind his grumpy guest, followed by the distinctive sound of a lock. Hesitantly, Luke looked up, barely able to make out Asch's form in what little light was in the room.

"Who... who are you?" Luke demanded, sounding a lot braver than he felt with his head hurting him and unarmed. "Who are you really?!"

Asch narrowed his eyes, standing there with all the stiffness of a statue, and for a moment it did not seem like he was going to answer. Finally, he moved, reaching up and removing his tabard, tossing it aside with a dull thud and a rustle of cloth.

"...a noble born in Baticul," he finally answered, his tone frigid. "Seven years ago, I was kidnapped from my home by a monster named Van."

Luke felt like his voice made him freeze. "But... but that's..."

Asch snorted, his tone turning cruel as he gazed down at the horrified expression that was slowly forming on the twin face.

"That's what happened to you?" he finished for him, before letting out a bark of laughter. "Hardly. You were just a creation... a stupid, inferior replica Van made to take my place! Why else can you not remember what happened before that time?! Why else do we look the same?!"

Luke shook his head, backing away from the God General, fear and horror blatantly painted on his face as he trembled. Asch just smirked at the sight, privately glad he had been prevented from killing the dreck; being able to see him squirm in the face of the truth was much more rewarding then having his blood on his hands.

"That... that can't... it can't be... it..." Luke tried to say, having difficulty forming a complete sentence. Asch narrowed his eyes at him again, reaching down and grabbing him by the collar of that ridiculous coat of his, pulling him up to his level.

"Look at me, dreck!" he snapped. "Does it _look_ like I'm lying?!"

Luke could only manage a soft squeak of fear, shaking his head as his mouth worked, trying to form some kind of words. Finally, he managed to get out only one:

"Why?"

Asch's expression softened slightly, releasing his grip on him and letting him fall back down to the bed.

"...that I don't know," he replied, before the glare came back in full force. "I wanted to try and find out, but you had to go and do something _stupid."_

Luke just sat there on his knees, afraid to even look up, even as he was insulted. Everything... everything he knew about himself and his place in the world... It was all a lie, a terrible lie; it was all supposed to belong to this man, the real Luke. Asch watched him for a long moment, before reaching out, tilting his chin up so he could look in his face.

"Look at me, dreck," he hissed. "I want to see you suffering from the truth."

A soft sob escaped from Luke, and he blinked back tears in a vain and stubborn effort to keep Asch from getting what he wanted.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" he asked, his voice wavering unsteadily.

Asch's expression darkened and his hand shifted, gripping Luke about the throat. A startled cry escaped from him, and he reached up to try and pry his hand off, but Asch pushed forward, slamming him up against the wall the bed hung from before he could attempt it. Stars danced before his eyes, and he tried to focus on the God General as he started speaking again.

"I want you to feel the pain I've suffered these past seven years," he hissed dangerously. "I want you to be begging for death by the time I'm through with you..."

A small sound of horror managed to escape from Luke's lips, but Asch dragged him away from the wall and the bed before he could get anything else out, throwing him forcefully to the floor. Luke felt his head swim again from the abuse, and he thought for sure he would pass out. The God General's hands shifting about on him again managed to keep that from happening, afraid of what he would try next. He did not count on the sound of his precious jacket tearing, Asch's hands gripping it by the back of the collar and ripping the design on the back to shreds before depositing it on the ground. Luke stared down at it as the sleeves fell from his arms uselessly, pooling around his hands, though they were quickly joined by his undershirt as that too was torn off of his body.

Luke turned over when Asch removed his hands from him, scraps of his clothing falling from his body as he tried to wriggle away from the stone faced soldier.

"S-stop! What are you... you can't possibly...!"

Asch paused, raising an eyebrow at his gibberish, before he seemed to understand what he was thinking. His lips turned up into a cruel sneer, one that drew out another whimper of fear from Luke.

"As much as I want to see you humiliated, I wouldn't insult _myself_ by touching trash like you in that manner," he shot back, grabbing for his pants in the next moment and ripping them off with a few painful jerks. "And that's all you are, trash. You're not worthy of a noble's clothing."

Asch stood up with the pieces of Luke's pants still in hand, tossing them down to the floor with a loud _snap,_ a disgusted look on his face. The replica shrank back, trying to cover himself shamefully, but the original was not going to let him get away with that. He pursued him, finally grabbing him roughly by his hair and pulling him up so that it was taut above his head.

"You don't need this either..." he hissed dangerously as he slid a dagger out from his belt.

Luke's eyes widened as they trailed along the sharp blade, and he thought for certain that his life was about to end. Asch surprised him again though, and instead of taking the blade to his neck, he took it to his hair. With a loud slicing sound that made his whole body ache, Luke's hair came apart from his head, dangerously close to his scalp, until he was falling back to the ground again. He curled up on himself, sobbing softly, as Asch hovered over him, holding the long red strands in his hand.

"That's better," he stated after a pause, slipping the dagger back where it belonged. "That's where you belong, dreck; cowering at my feet."

Asch spat at him, before turning on his heel, gathering up his tabard, and storming out of the room, leaving Luke to cry himself asleep alone.

~.oOOo.~

"How pathetic..."

Asch could not help commenting aloud on how his replica looked when he returned to his cell later that evening. The stupid dreck had curled back up on the cot, facing the wall. There was no bed sheet on the simple military bed, so the replica had used the remains of his coat tails in a vain effort to cover himself. Seeing him so damn weak was a wonderful thing, but insulting at the same time. He was not weak, so his replica should not be weak either; the fact that he could not even take someone ripping his clothes and cutting his hair just made the original even more pissed than he already was.

With a snarl his sword snapped out, easily cutting the chains that held the cot to the wall. The bed teetered a bit, before falling under Luke's weight, the replica coming awake with a loud yelp as he hit the cold floor. He laid there a moment, blinking in confusion, until Asch slamming his sword in the ground just inches away from his fingers made him snap back to reality. He let out a loud yelp, scrambling away from him and trying to keep himself covered at the same time. Asch sneered at the pathetic display, stalking after him.

"Stop acting like I don't see it every day!" he snapped, grabbing Luke by what was left of his hair and flinging him against the nearest wall. Luke slumped down, dazed, before Asch grabbed him again and slammed his head back against the wall.

"Listen and listen well, dreck," Asch hissed, his voice soft so as not to be heard outside the cell. "I'm not repeating myself. Tomorrow we arrive at the Zao Ruins, on the eastern edge of the desert. If your companions have any sense, they'll stop at the oasis west of there. Tomorrow you'll be escaping to the oasis, and letting your traveling party know where we are and that Ion is with us."

Hesitantly, Luke nodded, slowly calming despite the grip Asch had on his hair. "W-what are you making him do anyway...?"

"Van wants us to use him to open the doors to the Sephiroth," his original replied. "I don't know why, but I have my suspicions. The less you know, though, the less likely you are to blurt it out by accident."

Again Luke nodded, looking up at his original slowly. "...why are you letting me go?"

Asch glared, his gaze flicking briefly to the door. "'Luke fon Fabre' is important to Akzeriuth right now. Everyone in the Order and the world knows you'll be going there. If you don't show up, it'll cause a commotion."

Luke felt his stomach twist, and he bit his lip. Van said not to tell anyone... but Van was also lying to him this whole time! What could he... what _should_ he do...?

"M-master Van said that he would help me neutralize the miasma once I got to Akzeriuth," he blurted out before he could stop himself. "That if I did that it would prevent war and I'd be a hero."

Asch twitched when his replica referred to Van as his master, but listened to his words, the scowl on his face deepening to a thoughtful frown. Finally, he let go of Luke, standing up and folding his arms over his chest.

"...you could do that... maybe," he admitted softly, "but that doesn't make any sense. Why take that risk when...?" The original paused a moment, shaking his head, before turning another glare down to his replica. "All right then, don't do anything at Akzeriuth until I get there, understand? I'll be watching."

"W-watching? How?"

Asch crouched down again, and Luke shrunk back in response. The original only tapped him sharply on his forehead, a broad smirk coming to his face.

"We're perfect isofons, dreck," he explained. "You're an exact copy of me, right down to your fonon frequency. At Choral Castle I had Dist open up your synchronous fon slots so I would be able to control you if I wanted."

Luke's eyes widened. "Y-you would—"

"Relax, dreck," Asch barked at him before he could finish his protest. "Do as I say and you won't have to worry about that."

He stood up again, before reaching into his tabard and pulling out a bundle of clothes. Asch tossed them into Luke's face and waited a moment, letting him pull them away... just before he threw a canteen at him. The replica let out a yelp, hands flying to his face as the full canteen thumped into his lap on top of the clothes. Asch just smirked, before waving a hand as he started for the door.

"Get dressed and rest well," he sneered. "You have a long day tomorrow."

Luke waited until the door slammed shut, before his gaze turned mournfully to the fallen cot. Rest well on a broken cot... yeah, he did not see that happening any time soon. He let out a tired sigh, unbundling the clothes that had been tossed at him and holding them up. They were just plan, average clothes that any peasant would wear... except for the fact that the shirt had his beloved monster face printed on the back. He slid a hand over it, blinking in wonder.

"Asch..."

~.oOOo.~

The morning was a rather peaceful one, at least that's what the Oracle Knights stationed on the Tartarus believed. All three of the God Generals that were with them were off into the ruin they had stopped at near the edge of the desert. It was much more peaceful with Sync the Tempest off the ship, not to mention a lot less dangerous without Asch the Bloody present. Largo the Black Lion was the only one of the three that was tolerable enough, but he had his hands full enough just keeping the other two from butting heads.

The guard that was watching their unexpected royal prisoner let out a yawn, settling back against the wall. He did not see the point of watching him; the door was locked, and the little brat did not even let out a peep unless Commander Asch was inside, and when he was... The man shuddered slightly, remembering the screams and cries he had heard. It was no wonder the man was known as Bloody...

He was about to settle himself to get a much needed hour or so of sleep before the shift changed, when he could suddenly feel fonons gathering. He stood, looking around for the source... and therefore did not expect the Raging Blast that ripped through the wall behind him, sending him flying into the other wall and knocking him unconscious.

Luke let out an exhausted breath, taking a moment to recover from the base strike arte. He had never needed to make it _that_ powerful before, and the result was rather draining. Unfortunately, he could not waste too much time, as just about everyone had to have heard that explosion. He ducked through the hole he had ripped into the wall, immediately going over to the guard and relieving him of his sword.

"Sorry," Luke murmured, before hurrying down the familiar halls to an exit.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

The desert sun was ridiculously hot, and Luke found himself out of breath rather quickly as he ran away from the _Tartarus._ He had long lost his pursuers, though he guessed they did not really put much of an effort into following him; from what Asch said, they were probably not going to try and stop him from getting to Akzeriuth. That fact alone made his stomach twist, realizing just how vital his roll was, and how he very nearly screwed that up. Some Ambassador of Peace he was turning out to be.

Of course at that moment, his stomach decided to give a twist of a different kind, reminding him that he had yet to eat these past few days. He could not recall ever going this long without food, and the sooner he got to that oasis, the better. Of course, the desert seemed to stretch on forever, and it was beginning to look like there was not an end in sight. Had Asch led him off in the wrong direction? Luke was his replica, after all, and he clearly hated his existence... He shook that thought off quickly; no, he may have hated him and beat the crap out of him, but Asch clearly had other things to worry about that revolved around him still being alive.

Luke reached up, running a hand through the short strands of hair, grimacing at the reminder that it brought to him. He was just a replica... not even a real human being, just a copy of one. His position in the royal house was fake, his engagement was fake, even his own name did not belong to him; and it was all because of Van. Why would someone who loved and cared for him all these years do such a thing, though? Was that fake too?

_"Gah!"_ he exclaimed, mussing up his hair before flailing his arms and stomping his feet. "Stop thinking! Just stop thinking! It makes things easier that way!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth did his head suddenly start to throb, bringing with it one of those all too familiar headache. Luke let out a startled cry, holding his head as he fell to his knees in pain.

_"Stop thinking? Makes things easier? That explains a lot."_

Luke's head shot up; though he regretted it a moment later as his vision swam. He whimpered softly, holding his head again. This voice was not the same as the usual voice in his head; it was...

"Asch...?" he asked aloud. "How can you...?"

_"I told you, idiot, we're perfect isofons,"_ Asch snapped back at him. _"Only perfect isofons can talk to each other like this."_

"Oh..." Luke replied, doubting he could even do that, so he did not even bother to try. Besides, Asch seemed to be able to hear him just fine.

_"You're 'thinking' so loud it's giving me a headache. How long have you been walking?"_

"An hour, I think," Luke replied, flinching as he staggered back up to his feet. His head was still throbbing, but it seemed to lessen a little bit. Maybe the pain when Asch talked to him varied depending on his mood? "How much farther is this oasis?"

_"Shouldn't be too long; another hour at most."_

Luke let out a sigh. "Good. This heat sucks."

Asch let out a snort on his end. _"Poor pampered little noble."_

"H-hey, you were a noble once too!" Luke shot back, turning to glare like Asch was really there... only he was not. Well, this wasn't awkward or anything...

Another rude noise came from Asch's end of the line. _"I got better."_

"Yeah, sure..." Luke muttered, starting to walk toward the oasis again. It was weird... it kind of felt like he was walking side by side with Asch; like he was just out of the corner of his eye, a rather neutral look on his face as they trudged through the sand dunes together. Of course if he looked, he was not really there, but he swore if he just reached out in that direction, he could probably touch his hand. After a moment, he shook his head, trying not to dwell on it.

"What are you doing now?"

_"Escorting the Fon Master through the Zao Ruins,"_ Asch replied calmly. _"I think I hear someone above us; seems like your friends beat us to the punch."_

Luke stopped, whirling in surprise.

"But if they're there, then what should I do?"

_"Continue on to the oasis and wait for them, of course!"_ Asch snapped back in response. _"Don't ask stupid questions!"_

Luke hesitated a moment, looking up in the direction he had been traveling in, before shifting his gaze north, to where he could just barely see the spires of Chesedonia peeking up over the sand dunes. He could see it, so it could not be that far away, and as long as the tops of the buildings stayed in his sight, he could make it.

"No..." he began. "No, I'm going to go on to Chesedonia."

_"Dreck..."_

"Hey, you're not the only one that wants answers from Master Van!" Luke snapped before Asch could start yelling again. "Besides, you said yourself that the world is watching me and waiting for me to get to Akzeriuth. Isn't that important?"

Silence met him on the other end, and Luke blew out a breath, turning toward Chesedonia. "Don't worry... I'm not going to use my power or anything until you get there. I promise."

Asch grumbled under his breath at that, and for a moment it almost felt like he would take over his body and make him march over to the oasis. He seemed to think better of it, however, and Luke could feel the original back off just a little.

_"Don't screw up, dreck."_

~.oOOo.~

As soon as Luke got to Chesedonia he forced himself to mold in with the crowd, just until he found a place where he could trade the Oracle Knight sword for a weapon that stood out less, and a cape with a hood to cover his mutilated hair. He went immediately to the dock afterwards, saving the rest of his money for a much needed meal on the ship.

It was not until he was safe onboard with a hot chicken sandwich dangling from his mouth (and another on his plate waiting to be consumed) that he felt a faint tingling in the back of his mind. He paused, waiting for the pain, though he blinked when it did not come. Pulling the sandwich away, he frowned, tapping the side of his head, as if he were a radio trying to tune in to a certain frequency, before he shook his head, turning his focus back to his much needed meal...

...and then the headache struck.

Luke let out a hiss of irritation, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead as he dropped his sandwich back on his plate.

"Gah...! Asch, you bastard," he hissed. "What do you want now?!"

For a moment, the headache eased away, and then came back again in full force.

_"Replica? What are you going on about?"_

Luke paused, blinking back the pain. "That wasn't you before...?"

_"What are you..."_ Asch began, before trailing off, and Luke could almost picture the concerned look on his face. _"Luke, no matter what, do not let that boat sink."_

"What?!"

On cue, the boat suddenly rocked violently, and Luke let out a frustrated noise, gazing forlornly at his precious food, before tearing off a piece and stuffing it in his mouth. He was up and out of his seat before he could even swallow, rushing up to the bridge to see what was going on.

"What's going on?" he asked of the captain.

The man shot an irritated look at him. "Don't worry about it, boy! Just get into your cabin and keep it locked!"

Luke put his hands on his hips, opening his mouth to snap at the man, but deciding against it. Really, what right did he have to get mad at this man? He was not really in any important position to order people around...

He darted out of the bridge, but instead of going to his cabin, he headed out to the deck, sword in hand as he burst out into the open air. It was fortunate that he had thought to ready himself first, because he was attacked almost immediately by some kind of weird fonbot. His sword snapped out, cutting the creature in half, before looking down at it, toeing it with his boot.

"...Ugh, Dist," he grumbled, rolling his eyes as he pulled the hood of his cloak down further over his eyes.

_"Careful, dreck,"_ Asch warned. _"Dist may be a weakling, but his fonbots can move mountains."_

"Comforting," Luke groused, pounding his way down the deck.

More of the fonbots came to assault him, his sword lashing out to cut them in half. Sparks flew around him as he forced his way through, stabbing one and flicking it out to collide with several others. He darted out onto the starboard deck afterwards, looking around and surprised to see it so vacant. Carefully he edged his way further out, looking around for any clue of where Dist could be...

...and then he heard that obnoxious laugh as a shadow fell over him.

Luke jumped out of the way just as Dist and his ridiculously huge fonbot came crashing down onto the deck, splintering wood and the screeching noises from the metal joints making his hair stand on end. He skidded around as the drill arm of the massive fontech came crashing toward him, spinning dangerously close as his cape whipped around him.

"D-dammit, maybe this wasn't a good idea," Luke hissed. "I don't know any fonic artes!"

_"Of course you don't,"_ Asch grumbled, sarcasm heavy in his voice as he started nudging almost gently at Luke's mind. _"I'm taking over."_

Luke tensed up, and then it almost felt like he was outside of himself, watching helplessly as his body moved on its own. He could feel himself drawing in third fonons, his mouth moving and saying words that he did not even know.

"O darkened storm cloud loose thy blade and run mine enemy through! _Thunder Blade!"_

The clouds gathered overhead, before a sudden jolt of thunder in the shape of a sword speared the fonbot, making it shudder as the electric current shorted out its circuitry. Luke felt himself returned to his body again, trembling as the last vestiges of fonons drained from his body. He shook himself, forcing to hold onto those fonons as he darted forward, his sword humming with the wind.

"Feel the roar of lightening!" he shouted, striking the machine as he jumped up. A bolt of lightening cast out from his sword, shorting out what little of the machine still worked, before his sword came crashing down on top of it. _"Lightening Tiger Blade!"_

The machine shuddered, before it finally collapsed forward, sparking and trembling, but otherwise remaining still. Luke stumbled away, his heart hammering in his chest as he gazed at it, taking in the heavy scorch marks and hardly believing that so much damage had been because of him and the voice in his head. He trembled, before falling to his knees in exhaustion as the cockpit to the fonbot cracked open, letting loose a huge plume of smoke. Coughing came out as the smoke cleared, revealing an annoyed Dist. He opened his mouth, trying to stay something witty, but all that came out was another horrible cough. After a moment of trying and failing, he gave up, starting his chair up and zooming off into the air.

~.oOOo.~

Luke did not stop once the boat docked at Kaitzur; he started out immediately, heading for the Deo Pass like they planned to do together. Asch had fallen disturbingly quiet after the boat ride, and he was starting to worry that something may have happened to his original. He tried to reach out to him on his own, trying to follow the same thread of fonons that Asch always seemed to announce himself on, but the channel either was not there for him or not open to him.

Asch still had not answered by the time he reached the summit, and he was starting to really get concerned. He broke out into a run, hurrying down the path as fast as he could; the faster that he got to Akzeriuth, the sooner he could hear Asch's voice again and know that he was all right.

He got to the foot of the path on the Malkuth side, when a bullet shot rang out, the actual bullet piercing the ground at his feet and forcing him to jump back. Luke's head shot up, spotting the form of one of the God Generals that had been at the _Tartarus_ up on a cliff above him. She stepped forward, out of the sunlight and into the shadow of a cliff so he could better see her.

"You're... Regret, aren't you?" he demanded. "What the hell do you want?"

Regret gazed down at him, her eyes flicking back and forth as if looking for something, before she finally answered him with a question:

"Tear is not with you?"

Luke frowned privately, remembering how Tear had reacted to the God General's presence at the _Tartarus._ Perhaps the two of them were connected somehow...?

"We got separated," he bit out. "Why?"

Regret hesitated a moment, bringing one of her fonic guns up and training it on him, as if trying to gauge if he was telling the truth or not. After a very pregnant pause, however, she lowered the weapon, turning her back to him.

"...my apologies then. I have no business with you."

Luke hesitated a moment as she moved to leave. "What happened to Asch?!" he blurted out before he could stop himself, taking a step forward. Regret paused, frowning as she turned slightly to glare down at him.

"Rather compassionate toward someone that tormented you, aren't you?" she asked, her voice a mask, giving him no indication if she knew what happened to Asch or not. "The welfare of a God General should be of no concern to trash like you."

With that, she darted off, with only Luke shouting at her back.

~.oOOo.~

He stirred awake, feeling pain all over his body, and knew that he had to be the host of several ugly looking bruises at this point. He refused to let it bother him, however, shaking himself and forcing himself to ignore the pain. It was not the first time he had been on the wrong side of a prison cell, and with the way his life was going, it would most likely not be the last. Crawling up to his feet, he forced himself to stay standing despite the fresh wave of dizziness the action brought him, looking up to the only light in the room, coming from a thin window high above him.

"And here I thought you would not awaken this time."

He paused at the voice, before letting out an irritated growl, not even bothering to look back at the smug face of the owner of that voice behind him.

"What do you want, Van?" he bit out.

Commandant Grants stood, chuckling in an almost admonishing manner. "Now, now... no need to be so harsh with me. You know I only do this for your own good."

An irritated growl was the only answer he got to that. Van shook his head, his tone turning almost sad.

"When will you understand? I'm doing what I must to ensure a peaceful world. You cannot interfere with what is about to take place anymore, Asch."

Asch whirled around at that, green eyes blazing in fury.

"I am not a child anymore, Van!" he bellowed. "I'm not so blind as to let myself be fooled by your lies anymore!"

Van smiled patiently, though there was a hidden malice in that smile he had known since he was a boy, one that made Asch take a concerned step backwards even though the bars were there to protect him... at least he hoped they could. The commandant stepped forward, resting his hands on the support bar that ran perpendicular to the cell bars, his tone still sounding patient, though his manner seemed anything but.

"One day, Asch, you will understand how ugly this world truly is," he said. "For now, you will wait here, and no more filling dear young master 'Luke's' head with lies."

He turned then, and it was not until he heard the slam of the door down the hall that Asch allowed himself to snarl in frustration, kicking a bucket in his cell toward the bars. It splintered on impact, falling to the ground in pieces as he forced himself to calm down, focusing on the fon slots some distance away that were open only to him.

"Dreck, look out," he hissed softly, hoping he would not be heard. "Van's plotting something big. Don't let him trap you in it!"

He paused, listening for a response... but none ever came. Asch felt his heart freeze in his chest at the silence, eyes widening. Was he already too late? Had the replica... no, no he could not have; Van would have said so if he had.

"Dreck! Answer me!"

No matter how hard he tried, the connection remained silent.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Luke paused on the road leading to Akzeriuth, an unsettling feeling in his stomach as he watched waves of the putrid miasma floating up into the air. He had seen the miasma once before, at the Fubras River, but to see a whole city engulfed in it like this... After a moment, he shook his head, pulling up his cloak over his mouth and nose, before darting forward into the city.

If the outside of the city looked bad, the inside was worse; everything had a purplish-red hue to it, and the sound of coughing and illness could be heard everywhere. There were people propped up against buildings, struggling to breathe, while others milled about, trying vainly to help those they could before they passed out themselves. Luke pressed the cloak to his mouth harder, trying to preserve what clean air he could get as he made his way about, to find someone that looked like they were in charge.

"Did you come from the Kimlascan side?"

Luke jumped at the voice, turning to see a large man in a miner's uniform and helmet. He hesitated a moment, the weight of the responsibility he found himself with now making him nervous, before he cleared his throat.

"Y-yeah," he answered finally, "I'm Luke, son of the House of Fabre; I was sent as an ambassador from Kimlasca."

The man gave him a comforting smile, reaching out for his hand. "Pleasure to see the royals give so much care to us. I'm Pyrope, the local mine supervisor," the man replied. "The mayor's fallen ill, so I've been trying to lead the people here."

Luke nodded. "This is a lot worse than I imagined," he replied honestly, shaking his hand. "Has anyone else arrived yet?"

"Commandant Grants is already down in the mine," Pyrope answered. "He's trying to help the miners that collapsed down there."

Master Van... and no one else, and Asch's end of their connection was still silent. What was he supposed to do? He pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to focus and think; what would Asch do? What would any of his companions do? This man was expecting him to be a leader, but he had never needed to do or think for himself before. What if he made the wrong choice...?

"...gather together those that can still move," he began slowly, hoping this was right. "Grab materials that can be used for a temporary camp, and bring them to where there is clean air on the road leading to the city, close to the Deo Pass. Once you find a good spot, divide up the group; have one set up tents while the other starts bringing the sick and injured out of the city."

Pyrope smiled, nodding before heading off, leaving Luke fidgeting with his hands. He'd just disobeyed Master Van... he hoped that this would be the right thing to do...

~.oOOo.~

Asch had felt the _Tartarus_ stop ages ago, but that did not make him any more at ease. He knew they were at Akzeriuth, and he knew his replica had to have been here by now, and he would be left to whatever Van wanted to do with him and the city. In irritation, he kicked at the bars, trying to figure out what kind of seal was placed on him that he could not access the Seventh Fonon at all, not to mention get in touch with Luke. It felt like he was swimming around blind, able to feel and sense all the fonons around him except the one that mattered most.

"Dammit..." he hissed, grabbing at the bars, closing his eyes and trying to focus. He reached out to the Seventh Fonons around him, forcing them into his fon slots as hard as he could. Another hiss escaped from his mouth, feeling a faint trickle of blood making its way down his bare arms, dripping to the floor as he forced his slots back open. It was slow in coming, but his hands started to glow with hyperresonance, before everything suddenly exploded, pieces of the metal bars flying past him as those he was holding onto disintegrated.

With his cell open, Asch was not about to waste his freedom. He darted out of the room, and was immediately met by an Oracle Knight that had been stationed as his guard. The man swiped at him, but Asch jerked out of the way, his knee coming up and into the man's gut before his fists came down on the back of his skull. The knight dropped, and he grabbed up the man's sword before darting up the stairs and out into the main halls of the Malkuth landship.

"Luke...!"

~.oOOo.~

Luke was on his way down Tunnel Fourteen of the Akzeriuth mines, where Master Van was supposed to be when a sudden headache wracked his head. He cried out, falling to his knees as his head throbbed in what had to be the worst headache he had ever had.

_"...uke... ar me...?"_

He paused at the sudden voice, lifting his head in surprise.

"Asch?" he asked softly. "Where have you been?"

_"...an grab... kept me... arus..."_

Luke frowned as he tried to make sense of what he was saying, but it sounded more like Asch was speaking from the far end of a long tunnel. He scrambled back up to his feet, shaking his head.

"Asch, I can barely hear you," he said. "If you're nearby, I'm in Tunnel Fourteen. Come down here."

_"...ight."_

Asch fell silent again, leaving a faint buzzing sound behind, before everything fell quiet. Luke stayed there for a long moment, worry churning in his stomach, before he started forward again, a determined look on his face. Now that he knew his original was safe, he could focus more at the task at hand: namely, getting some answers out of Master Van. He was not sure how successful he would be, but he had to try.

He came out into a massive cavern, where several miners were on the ground, some moaning in pain while others were disturbingly still. Luke hurried over to one, but he was at a loss for what he could do; he was not a healer and he could not take out all of these people at the same time. Not only that, but if Master Van was supposed to be here, then where was the vanguard that he had left Baticul with? Nothing was making any sense right now...

"Luke, is that you?"

Luke's head jerked up, surprised by the familiar voice. Van was standing in the entrance of a tunnel that led further in, blinking in surprise at his appearance. Normally Luke would feel his heart swell in happiness at seeing him, but all he could feel now was a cold, numb feeling of betrayal. After a moment, Van smiled warmly, motioning for him to come over and Luke complied, forcing a smile on his face.

"Master Van, I'm glad to see you're okay," he managed, though even he would not have been convinced by his own words. Still, Van did not seem to suspect anything, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"As I am you," he replied. "Come, this way."

Luke allowed Van to lead him down the tunnel, into another wide room with another entrance that almost looked like there had been a door there before. The commandant motioned him inside, and Luke hesitantly entered, before stopping dead, eyes widening at the sight that greeted him. The large brown walls were inlayed with some strange glowing material, providing the massive hallways and cavernous rooms with plenty of light. Carefully he stepped forward, the transparent floor easily supporting his weight.

"What is this place, master?"

"This is the Sephiroth," Van explained, ushering him along. Luke walked along the linear path, following the bends and stairs down further inside. "The fon machine in here is responsible for the miasma going out of control."

Luke felt himself hesitate a moment, but continued to follow Van along the path. The Sephiroth... Asch had said the God Generals were having Ion open the Sephiroth for Van for some reason, one that he did not know of. Whatever it was that was in here, it had to be something important.

They finally reached the end of the path, where what looked like a massive tuning fork surrounded by golden rings hovered high above them in a beam of light. Luke looked up at it uneasily, wrapping his arms around his stomach as Van continued forward, stopping at the end of the path and just under the strange device.

"Luke, come here to the passage ring and neutralize the miasma," Van ordered, a patient smile on his face.

Luke hesitated, glancing behind him a moment; Asch still had not caught up to them, and he swore he was not going to use his power until he had come. He started toward Van, glancing back up at the passage ring, as he had called it, before back to his beloved master.

"...Master Van? What happened to the vanguard you were with?" he asked.

Van's smile did not falter. "I have them standing by elsewhere," he explained. "There's no need for them if you're going to neutralize the miasma, is there?"

"But..." Luke began, feeling uneasy, "there are so many people here that are sick or badly injured. I know you said not to move the people, but the people here will still be in trouble, even if I neutralized the miasma. Wouldn't it be better if they were here to help them?"

He kept his eyes trained on Van, trying to gauge his reaction to his questions. A serious look came to the commandant's face as he started to pace, a hand going up to his goatee.

"Luke, we discussed this," he began. "Right now, neutralizing the miasma is more important. Once that's done, once you've become a hero, then we can worry about the people before we flee to Daath."

Luke hesitated; he wanted to believe him so much. He loved Van like a father, more than his own father. He wanted so much to believe that what he was telling him was the truth, and that once everything was said and done, he would be free from the life he had lived. Glancing back at the passage ring, however, brought a churning sensation to his stomach. To use his hyperresonance, something so destructive, against a machine that he did not know about...

"Go to Daath together... or are you just going to discard me once I accomplish whatever horrible thing you want me to do?" he found himself asking.

Van did not move, his serious expression unfaltering. "Did Asch tell you this when he captured you?"

Luke felt his insides grow cold. "Considering you're asking me about something that happened when you were supposed to be on a boat here, I think I have a very good reason to believe him," he replied, backing away, toward the passage ring. "Master... _where_ is the vanguard?"

Van closed his eyes... before a faint smirk made his lips twitch. "I'm sure whatever is left of their corpses has made an excellent meal for the fishes by now."

Luke continued to back away, his left hand falling by his sword hilt beneath his cloak, ready to draw it if – no, when – he needed it.

"Seven years ago..." he forced out, trying to ignore the horrible, dreadful _cold_ feeling settling in his chest. "When you made me... _why_ did you do it? Why did you make me? Care for me? What the hell am I to you!?"

Silence fell over the massive chamber as Luke's last question echoed off of the walls. For a long moment, Van said nothing, his fingers almost casually stroking his goatee. Finally, as Luke's voice died away from around them, the commandant opened his eyes... before his hand snapped out, grabbing the redhead by his sword arm.

"Expendable," he answered, spinning Luke around before grabbing his other arm and forcing them both up, pointing toward the passage ring. "Now, make yourself useful for once in your pathetic existence, _foolish replica Luke."_

Luke gasped in pain, eyes widening as the Seventh Fonon suddenly rushed toward him. It felt like every part of his body – his skin, his nails, his hair; everything, right down to the blood that rushed through him – had been ripped open and replaced with that mysterious fonon. His body started to glow, and he felt Van backing away, but despite that he could not move. His body was frozen in place, and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, the Seventh Fonon _kept coming._

"No... no, stop...!" he cried. _"Asch, help me!"_

Everything happened so fast. One moment, his world was bathed in white, and the next his face was pressed to the transparent ground, a faint rumbling and the sound of falling rock coming from the distance. Slowly, fearing what he would see, Luke raised his head, finding himself bathed in the faint glow of the passage ring. Some distance away, there was a massive hole in the wall and the earth beyond, where his destructive powers had obliterated it. Not far before him on the path, Asch was struggling to his feet, cursing as he favored his hands, both of which were bright red with burn marks from touching Luke's body while in the middle of such a massive hyperresonance.

"Asch...?"

His original turned to him, his expression hard to read. "I thought you swore you wouldn't use your power until I showed up?"

Luke managed a weak smile. "Was... wasn't my idea..." he replied, sounding as drained as he felt. For a moment, Asch actually cracked a smile, before the hiss of a sword leaving its sheath drew the two of them back to Van. The commandant had a murderous look on his face as he started toward Luke, his large broadsword easily held in one hand.

"You couldn't even do the _single thing_ you were born for correctly," he sneered, raising his sword to stab him.

Before the blade could even get close, Asch was on his feet in an instant, clutching his sword even as his burned hands cracked and bled. He sprang forward, intercepting Van's sword and pushing him away from Luke, knowing full well his replica was too weak to stand, let alone fight. The two blades clanged loudly against each other, echoing off the walls to the accompaniment of Asch's hisses of pain. Van brought his sword down on his as hard as he could, drawing an actual scream from the redhead as his blood soaked hands fought desperately to hold on.

"I will not allow you to throw your life away for trash," Van hissed softly. "You are far more important than you even know, _Luke fon Fabre."_

Asch snarled in rage, pushing him back with everything he had, as Luke struggled up to his knees behind him. He knew his original could not carry on like this, and it was only a matter of time before he could not hold his sword anymore, but he did not even have the strength to remove his own from the sheath. There was nothing he could do!

Luke paused as realization and memory made his eyes widen; no, there was something he could do. He closed his eyes, remembering how it felt when Asch had drawn Third Fonons to his body, listening and feeling the wind coming to him, feeling it humming softly in tune with his own frequency. His mouth moved, remembering the words that had been said, and even though his chanting was spoken in a voice cracked from fatigue, the fonons he drew into himself seemed to get the idea.

_"Thunder Blade!"_

Both Asch and Van, their swords locked in combat, looked up in shock as the blade of thunder formed over their heads. The original held himself there for a moment, just enough to smirk at the commandant, before he forced himself away just as the blade came crashing down. Van's body jerked and twitched out of his control as he took on the full force of the fonic arte, fumbling on the transparent walkway. Asch surged forward as the arte died away, not giving Van a chance to recover as he hit him as hard as he could, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling down into the abyss beneath them.

Silence reigned, before it was broken by a loud clang as Asch dropped his sword, blood dripping from his hands. Luke struggled over to him, breathing hard as he reached down, ripping up his own cloak so that he could wrap his original's hands. Asch remained surprisingly calm and quiet as Luke worked, tying off the last makeshift bandage before wavering unsteadily. His original reached out, grasping him by his shoulders and keeping him steady.

"You all right?" Luke asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"I should be asking you that, dreck," Asch replied, looking him over. "The hell did Van do?"

Luke shook his head. "I dunno... said something, and... lost control."

The two of them exchanged glances, relieved it was all over... but before they had the chance to celebrate, the walkway started to tremble, and the glow from the passage ring suddenly turned bright red. Luke turned slightly, looking up to see words in Ancient Ispanian splayed over a diagram of seven circles, one of which was already grayed out.

"What is that?" he asked as Asch grew tense.

"It says, 'Warning: Tree System collapse imminent'," the original translated, his grip on Luke tightening. "Dammit, this is what's keeping the land up; Akzeriuth is going to fall anyway!"

"What are you talking about?" Luke demanded, confused.

"It'll take too long to explain!" Asch replied, standing up, the replica struggling up beside him. "We have to stop it."

"How?"

"I-I..." Asch began, at a loss as his eyes flicked over the display. "I don't know. There's no control panel at this passage ring... maybe force commands in with a hyperresonance?"

"You don't _know?"_

Asch shot him an irritable look. "The passage rings and the Sephiroth are classified information in the Order. Even I'm not ranked high enough to know what little I do!"

Luke bit his lip, looking up at the glaring red display, before forcing himself away from Asch. He wobbled unsteadily on his feet, letting out an uneasy breath.

"Tell me what to do."

Asch glared at him again. "Do what? You don't have the strength or the control for something like this!"

"And you don't have the hands!" Luke shot back, before raising his own. "Tell me what to do!"

The original hissed in irritation, planting a hand firmly on his replica's shoulder. "Clear your head, call the Seventh Fonon to yourself. _Slowly,_ like you did when you cast that arte."

Luke let out a breath, forcing down the panic and worry, and trying to focus on Asch's voice. Slowly, his hands started glowing again as he called the Seventh Fonon to him, what little strength he had left quickly faltering.

"N-now what...?" he gasped. Asch did not answer right away, frowning in thought. "Asch...!"

"I'm doing grammar conversion in my head since those idiots in the manor didn't bother to teach you Ancient Ispanian, dreck!" he snapped. "See that fifth circle there? That's Akzeriuth. Try... um... 'Tree descent. Normal speed'."

In Luke's mind, he tried to imagine himself wielding a giant glowing pen, writing the words Asch wanted him to in the fifth circle. The words appeared in the circle above them with agonizing slowness in the replica's sloppy handwriting, and he barely managed to scrawl in the last letter before his strength gave out. A loud _bang_ resounded through the chamber, and he got to see the passage ring display light up in green before Luke passed out cold.


End file.
